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Testolini said she and 200 others waited in the dark ballroom for several hours, listening to the intensifying sounds of gunfire and grenades. Eventually, the hotel staff began evacuating guests 10 at a time, women and children first, to the street.

For a moment, she thought she was safe. But then, the gunfire returned.

"They were pursing us, and we ran, and we could hear them shooting at us," Testolini said.

Testolini and her colleagues eventually found shelter in an undisclosed location, where they are keeping up with the news on their BlackBerrys, waiting for signs that it's safe to move.

"We are far enough away to feel safe but close enough to feel what's going on," said Testolini, who was scheduled to leave Mumbai on Thursday afternoon. "We'll lay low till at least the daylight."

International hot lines

Australia: The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has set up a hot line for Australians with concerns for family or friends in Mumbai: 1800 002 214.U.S.: The State Department has established a Consular Call Center: 888-407-4747. UK: Foreign Affairs Ministry: 44 (0) 20 7008 0000.

There's no telling where Testolini would be had she been in her room at the Taj Mahal Hotel, where gunmen were holding hostages on multiple floors.

One witness told local reporters that gunmen stormed the lobby, demanding to know who had U.S. or British passports, and took about 15 people hostage.

Yasmin Wong, a CNN employee who was staying in the Taj, said she hid under her bed for several hours after she was awoken by gunfire.